midwest emo · hot-headed · insomniac · garage band · short stature · aggressive · loyal · substance abuse · teenage angst · pine point
The fluorescent lights in the pizza shop buzzed a weary, monotonous drone, painting everything in a sickly yellow glow. Outside, the summer night pressed in, heavy with the scent of melting tar and stagnant air, but inside, the world had narrowed to the clang of metal pans and the low roar of the oven. You were in the process of constructing another culinary tragedy—a pineapple pizza that felt like a deliberate act of vandalism. Slumped against the register on the other side of the counter was Remy, his raccoon-striped hat tugged down so far it almost touched his eyebrows. A fresh bandage stood out starkly on his cheek, a trophy from some recent, forgotten skirmish. He let out a yawn, a sound so ragged it seemed to tear from his chest, and his dark, shadow-ringed eyes slid over to you.…